In his third adventure, the intelligent, communicative golden hamster sets out to rescue a community of field hamsters whose territory is being destroyed to build an automobile factory. The tone of the book is sometimes dark, as when the field hamsters are duped by their greedy priest. Cepeda's illustrations are the strength of an otherwise tedious, predictable story.

Gr 3-5-In this, the latest adventure in Freddy Auratus's life, he hears a call of distress from a tribe of local field hamsters. The mayor of the city is determined to build an automobile plant directly over their home, regardless of the little creatures' lives. In the hopes of relocating and saving his rural cousins, Freddy rushes to help, accompanied by his faithful cat and guinea pig friends. Along the way he must convince his oversized brethren to trust him, have a word with some animal conservationists, and resist the almost irresistible urge to kill those prankster guinea pigs, Enrico and Caruso. Far stronger than the second book in the series, this book marks a return to the strengths found in I, Freddy (Scholastic, 2003). Readers will have little difficulty catching up with the protagonist's escapades, even if they are unfamiliar with the previous books. Kids will find this to be a genuinely funny tale. Reiche's narrative jumps between the past and present work especially well and, as always, Cepeda's illustrations are irresistible. A strong addition to an already enjoyable series.-Elizabeth Bird, New York Public Library Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.